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(Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York) W (B-Ok - CC) PDF
(Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York) W (B-Ok - CC) PDF
WHAT DOES
THE BIBLE
Really TEACH?
bh-E
WHAT DOES
THE BIBLE
Really TEACH?
THIS BOOK IS THE PROPERTY OF
5 2005
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
All Rights Reserved
PUBLISHERS
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
2009 Printing
This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible
educational work supported by voluntary donations.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations
are from the modern-language
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References
What Does the Bible Really Teach?
English ( bh-E)
Made in the United States of America
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
Is This What God Purposed? 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 3
1. What Is the Truth About God? 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8
2. The Bible—A Book From God 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 18
3. What Is God’s Purpose for the Earth? 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 27
4. Who Is Jesus Christ? 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 37
5. The Ransom—God’s Greatest Gift 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 47
6. Where Are the Dead? 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 57
7. Real Hope for Your Loved Ones Who Have Died 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 66
8. What Is God’s Kingdom? 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 76
9. Are We Living in “the Last Days”? 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 86
10. Spirit Creatures—How They Affect Us 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 96
11. Why Does God Allow Suffering? 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 106
12. Living in a Way That Pleases God 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 115
13. A Godly View of Life 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 125
14. How to Make Your Family Life Happy 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 134
15. Worship That God Approves 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 144
16. Take Your Stand for True Worship 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 154
17. Draw Close to God in Prayer 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 164
18. Baptism and Your Relationship With God 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 174
19. Remain in God’s Love 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 184
Appendix 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 194
Is This What God Purposed?
READ any newspaper. Look at televi-
sion, or listen to the radio. There
are so many stories of crime, war,
and terrorism! Think about your own
troubles. Perhaps illness or the death
of a loved one is causing you great dis-
tress. You may feel like the good man
Job, who said that he was “drenched
with misery.”—Job 10:15, The Holy Bi-
ble in the Language of Today.
Ask yourself:
ˇ Is this what God purposed for me
and for the rest of mankind?
ˇ Where can I find help to cope with
my problems?
ˇ Is there any hope that we will ever
see peace on the earth?
The Bible provides satisfying an-
swers to these questions.
4
ˇ Why do we suffer?
ˇ How can we cope with life’s anxieties?
ˇ How can we make our family life happier?
ˇ What happens to us when we die?
ˇ Will we ever see our dead loved ones again?
ˇ How can we be sure that God will fulfill his
promises for the future?
Is This What God Purposed? 7
The fact that you are reading this book shows that
you would like to find out what the Bible teaches. This
book will help you. Notice that the paragraphs have cor-
responding questions at the bottom of the page. Millions
have enjoyed using the question-and-answer method
when discussing the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
We hope you will too. May you have God’s blessing as
you now enjoy the thrilling and satisfying experience of
learning what the Bible really teaches!
questions, you will find that the search can be very re-
warding. (Proverbs 2:1-5) Despite what other people may
have told you, there are answers, and you can find them
—in the Bible. The answers are not too hard to under-
stand. Better yet, they bring hope and joy. And they can
help you to live a satisfying life right now. To begin, let us
consider a question that has troubled many people.
IS GOD UNCARING AND HARDHEARTED?
6 Many people think that the answer to that question
is yes. ‘If God cared,’ they reason, ‘would not the world be
4, 5. What are some of the most important questions we can ask in
life, and why should we seek the answers?
6. Why do many people think that God is uncaring when it comes
to human suffering?
10 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
The Bible
—A Book From God
In what ways is the Bible different
from any other book?
How can the Bible help you cope with
personal problems?
Why can you trust the prophecies
recorded in the Bible?
wrong ideas about the shape of the earth, the Bible re-
ferred to it as a circle, or sphere. (Isaiah 40:22) The Bible
accurately said that the earth ‘hangs on nothing.’ (Job
26:7) Of course, the Bible is not a science textbook. But
when it touches on scientific matters, it is accurate. Is this
not what we would expect of a book from God?
9 The Bible is also historically accurate and reliable. Its
9. (a) In what ways does the Bible show itself to be historically ac-
curate and reliable? (b) What does the honesty of its writers tell you
about the Bible?
10. Why is it not surprising that the Bible is a practical book?
The Bible writer
Isaiah foretold the
fall of Babylon
16. (a) What did Isaiah foretell about the final outcome of Babylon?
(b) How was Isaiah’s prophecy about Babylon’s desolation fulfilled?
The Bible—A Book From God 25
Ruins of Babylon
26 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
sick and die; they even fight and kill one another. Some-
thing went wrong. Surely, however, God did not purpose
that the earth should be as we see it today! What hap-
pened? Why has God’s purpose not been fulfilled? No
history book written by man can tell us because the trou-
ble started in heaven.
THE ORIGIN OF AN ENEMY
The first book of the Bible tells of an opposer of God
4
homes and gardens will occupy land that had once been
ruined by sinful humans. (Isaiah 65:21-24; Revelation 11:
18) As time passes, parts of the earth already subdued
will expand until the whole globe is as beautiful and
productive as the garden of Eden. And God will never fail
to ‘open his hand and satisfy the desire of every living
thing.’—Psalm 145:16.
21 There will be peace between humans and animals.
8, 9. What proof that Jesus was the Messiah became clear at his bap-
tism?
Who Is Jesus Christ? 41
10. What does the Bible teach about Jesus’ existence before he came
to earth?
11. How does the Bible show that Jesus is Jehovah’s most precious
Son?
12. How do we know that the firstborn Son is not equal to God?
42 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
13. What does the Bible mean when it refers to the Son as “the im-
age of the invisible God”?
14. How did Jehovah’s only-begotten Son come to be born as a hu-
man?
15. Why can we say that through Jesus we come to know Jehovah
better?
Who Is Jesus Christ? 43
The Ransom
—God’s Greatest Gift
What is the ransom?
How was it provided?
What can it mean for you?
How can you show that you
appreciate it?
they will die, he wrote: “As for the dead, they are con-
scious of nothing at all.” He then enlarged on that basic
truth by saying that the dead can neither love nor hate
and that “there is no work nor devising nor knowledge
nor wisdom in [the grave].” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10) Sim-
ilarly, Psalm 146:4 says that when a man dies, “his
1 For a discussion of the words “soul” and “spirit,” please see the
Appendix, pages 208-11.
that in the very day of your eating from it your eyes are
bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God,
knowing good and bad.” (Genesis 3:4, 5) Satan wanted
9. What restriction did Jehovah place upon Adam, and why was this
command not difficult to obey?
10, 11. (a) How did the first human couple come to disobey God?
(b) Why was the disobedience of Adam and Eve a serious matter?
62 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
4. (a) Why does Jesus’ reaction to the death of a loved one teach us
about Jehovah’s feelings? (b) Jesus developed what special friend-
ship?
5, 6. (a) How did Jesus respond when he was with Lazarus’ griev-
ing family and friends? (b) Why is Jesus’ grief encouraging to us?
68 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
The resurrection of
Lazarus resulted in great joy.
—John 11:38-44
70 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
delight. They teach us that God is not partial, for the res-
urrected ones include young and old, male and female,
Israelite and non-Israelite. And what joy is described in
these passages! For example, when Jesus raised a young
girl from the dead, her parents “were beside themselves
with great ecstasy.” (Mark 5:42) Yes, Jehovah had given
them a cause for joy that they would never forget.
10 Of course, those resurrected by Jesus eventually died
No, for Jesus taught that someday “all those in the me-
morial tombs” will be resurrected. (John 5:28) Jehovah
is the Creator of all life. Should it be hard to believe
that he can re-create life? Of course, much would depend
on Jehovah’s memory. Can he remember our dead loved
ones? Countless trillions of stars fill the universe, yet God
gives the name of each one! (Isaiah 40:26) So Jehovah
God can remember our dead loved ones in every detail,
and he is ready to restore them to life.
14 How, though, does Jehovah feel about resurrecting
“Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has
come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has
a short period of time.” (Revelation 12:12) Satan is angry
about being cast out of heaven and having just a short
time left. In his anger he causes distress, or “woe,” on
earth. We will learn more about that “woe” in the next
chapter. But with that in mind, we could ask, How can
the Kingdom cause God’s will to be done on earth?
15 Well, remember what God’s will is for the earth. You
dom come,” it was clear that the Kingdom had not come
at that time. Did it come when Jesus ascended to heaven?
No, because both Peter and Paul said that after Jesus was
resurrected, the prophecy at Psalm 110:1 was fulfilled in
him: “The utterance of Jehovah to my Lord is: ‘Sit at my
right hand until I place your enemies as a stool for your
feet.’ ” (Acts 2:32-34; Hebrews 10:12, 13) There was a wait-
ing period.
23 For how long? During the 19th century, sincere Bi-
Are We Living
in “the Last Days”?
What events in our time were foretold
in the Bible?
What does God’s Word say people would be like
in “the last days”?
Regarding “the last days,” what good things
does the Bible foretell?
4, 5. (a) What took place in heaven soon after Jesus was enthroned
as King? (b) According to Revelation 12:12, what was to be the result
of the war in heaven?
88
day, do you not agree that we are living in the last days?
After the good news is preached to Jehovah’s satisfaction,
“the end” is certain to come. (Matthew 24:14) “The end”
means the time when God will get rid of wickedness on
earth. To destroy all who willfully oppose Him, Jehovah
will use Jesus and powerful angels. (2 Thessalonians 1:
6-9) Satan and his demons will no longer mislead the
nations. After that, God’s Kingdom will shower blessings
upon all who submit to its righteous rulership.—Revela-
tion 20:1-3; 21:3-5.
16 Since the end of Satan’s system is near, we need to
Spirit Creatures
—How They Affect Us
Do angels help people?
How have wicked spirits influenced humans?
Do we need to fear wicked spirits?
said: “My own God sent his angel and shut the mouth of
the lions.” (Daniel 6:22) In the first century C.E., an angel
freed the apostle Peter from prison. (Acts 12:6-11) More-
over, angels supported Jesus at the start of his earthly
ministry. (Mark 1:13) And shortly before Jesus’ death, an
angel appeared to Jesus and “strengthened him.” (Luke
22:43) What a comfort that must have been for Jesus at
those very important times in his life!
6 Today, angels no longer appear visibly to God’s peo-
6. (a) How do angels protect God’s people today? (b) What questions
will we now consider?
7. To what extent did Satan succeed in turning people away from
God?
8. (a) How did some angels become demons? (b) To survive the
Flood of Noah’s day, what did the demons have to do?
Spirit Creatures—How They Affect Us 99
ing God for all the suffering in the world? In many cases,
they blame Almighty God because they think that he is
the real ruler of this world. They do not know a simple
but important truth that the Bible teaches. You learned
that truth in Chapter 3 of this book. The real ruler of this
world is Satan the Devil.
7 The Bible clearly states: “The whole world is lying in
and the students on his side are wrong. But he also knows
that allowing them the opportunity to try to prove their
point will benefit the whole class. When the rebels fail,
all honest students will see that the teacher is the only
one qualified to lead the class. They will understand why
the teacher thereafter removes any rebels from the class.
Similarly, Jehovah knows that all honesthearted humans
and angels will benefit from seeing that Satan and his fel-
low rebels have failed and that humans cannot govern
themselves. Like Jeremiah of old, they will learn this vi-
tal truth: “I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man
his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who
is walking even to direct his step.”—Jeremiah 10:23.
14. What benefit will come from Jehovah’s decision to allow hu-
mans to govern themselves?
112 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
WHY SO LONG?
15 Why, though, has Jehovah allowed suffering to go
on for so long? And why does he not prevent bad things
from happening? Well, consider two things that the
teacher in our illustration would not do. First, he would
not stop the rebel student from presenting his case. Sec-
ond, the teacher would not help the rebel to make his
case. Similarly, consider two things that Jehovah has de-
termined not to do. First, he has not stopped Satan and
those who side with him from trying to prove that they
are right. Allowing time to pass has thus been necessary.
In the thousands of years of human history, mankind
has been able to try every form of self-rule, or hu-
man government. Mankind has made some advances in
science and other fields, but injustice, poverty, crime,
and war have grown ever worse. Human rule has now
been shown to be a failure.
16 Second, Jehovah has not helped Satan to rule this
of free will to the best possible use. You can join the mil-
lions who have taken a stand on Jehovah’s side. They
make God rejoice because they take an active part in prov-
ing Satan a liar and a miserable failure as a ruler. (Proverbs
27:11) You too can do that by choosing the right course of
life. This will be explained in the next chapter.
20, 21. How may we use the gift of free will in the best possible way,
and why should we want to do so?
give you needed direction and watch over you as you ap-
ply it. God wants to help you get through your trials and
tests. (Psalm 55:22) So if you serve Jehovah with a com-
plete heart, you can be as confident as the psalmist who
said: “I have placed Jehovah in front of me constantly. Be-
cause he is at my right hand, I shall not be made to totter.”
(Psalm 16:8; 63:8) Yes, Jehovah can help you to live in a
way that pleases him. But, as you know, there is an enemy
of God who would like to keep you from doing this.
SATAN’S CHALLENGE
6 Chapter 11 of this book explained how Satan the
Devil challenged God’s sovereignty. Satan charged God
with lying and implied that Jehovah was unfair in not let-
ting Adam and Eve decide for themselves what was right
and what was wrong. After Adam and Eve sinned and
as the earth began to be filled with their offspring, Sa-
tan questioned the motive of all humans. “People do not
serve God because they love him,” Satan charged. “Give
4, 5. How does Jehovah show his strength in behalf of his people?
6. What was Satan’s charge regarding humans?
Living in a Way That Pleases God 117
16. (a) By what methods does Satan try to turn people away from
God? (b) How might the Devil use these methods against you?
Living in a Way That Pleases God 121
ˇ by giving up
unclean habits
ˇ by rooting out
of our heart any
hatred for our
fellowman
A Godly View of Life 127
apostles and other men taking the lead among Jesus’ fol-
lowers in the first century met together to decide what
commands had to be obeyed by all in the Christian
11. What use of blood has God forbidden since the days of Noah?
12. What command regarding blood was given by holy spirit in the
first century and still applies today?
130 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
How to Make
Your Family Life Happy
What is needed to be a good husband?
How can a woman succeed as a wife?
What is involved in being a fine parent?
How can children help to make
family life happy?
ing that the family originates with Jehovah, the one Jesus
called “Our Father.” (Matthew 6:9) Every family on earth
exists because of our heavenly Father—and he certainly
knows what makes families happy. (Ephesians 3:14, 15)
So, what does the Bible teach about the role of each fam-
ily member?
DIVINE ORIGIN OF HUMAN FAMILY
3 Jehovah created the first humans, Adam and Eve,
1. What is the key to a happy family life?
2. Family happiness depends on our recognizing what?
3. How does the Bible describe the start of the human family, and
why do we know that what it says is true?
How to Make Your Family Life Happy 135
flesh; but he feeds and cherishes it, as the Christ also does
the congregation.”—Ephesians 5:23, 25-29.
6 Jesus’ love for his congregation of disciples sets a per-
for the family. For example, the Bible shows that married
women are “to love their husbands, to love their children,
to be sound in mind, chaste, workers at home, good,
subjecting themselves to their own husbands.” (Titus 2:
4, 5) A wife and mother who acts in this way will gain
the lasting love and respect of her family. (Proverbs 31:
10, 28) Since marriage is a union of imperfect individuals,
however, some extreme circumstances may result in sep-
aration or divorce. The Bible allows for separation under
12. Why is it not wrong for a wife to express her opinions respect-
fully?
13. (a) What does Titus 2:4, 5 urge married women to do? (b) What
does the Bible say about separation and divorce?
What fine example did Sarah provide for wives?
need parents who will protect them from people who seek
to harm them, such as sexual predators. Consider how Je-
sus protected his disciples, whom he affectionately called
“little children.” When he was arrested and would soon
be killed, Jesus made a way for them to escape. (John 13:
33; 18:7-9) As a parent, you need to be alert to the Devil’s
attempts to harm your little ones. You need to give them
advance warning.1 (1 Peter 5:8) Never before has the
1 Help in protecting children is found in chapter 32 of the book
Learn From the Great Teacher, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
other. Jesus said: “By this all will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:
35) The early Christians had such love for one another.
Godly love overcomes racial, social, and national barri-
ers and draws people together in an unbreakable bond
of true brotherhood. (Colossians 3:14) Members of false
religions do not have such a loving brotherhood. How
do we know that? They kill one another because of na-
tional or ethnic differences. True Christians do not take
up weapons to kill their Christian brothers or anyone
else. The Bible states: “The children of God and the chil-
dren of the Devil are evident by this fact: Everyone who
does not carry on righteousness does not originate with
God, neither does he who does not love his brother.
. . . We should have love for one another; not like Cain,
who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his
brother.”—1 John 3:10-12; 4:20, 21.
8. What is involved in worshiping Jehovah?
9, 10. In what ways do true Christians show love for one another?
Worship That God Approves 149
trial before the Roman ruler Pilate, Jesus said: “My king-
dom is no part of this world.” (John 18:36) No matter
what country they live in, Jesus’ true followers are sub-
jects of his heavenly Kingdom and thus maintain strict
neutrality in the world’s political affairs. They take no
part in its conflicts. However, Jehovah’s worshipers do
not interfere with what others choose to do about joining
a political party, running for office, or voting. And while
God’s true worshipers are neutral regarding politics, they
are law-abiding. Why? Because God’s Word com-
mands them to “be in subjection” to the governmental
11. Why is it important to accept Jesus Christ as God’s means of sal-
vation?
12. What does being no part of the world involve?
150 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
13. How do Jesus’ true followers view God’s Kingdom, and therefore,
what action do they take?
3. (a) What does the Bible say about the use of images, and why
might God’s view be difficult for some to accept? (b) What should
you do with any items you own that are connected with false wor-
ship?
4. (a) How do we know that ancestor worship is futile? (b) Why did
Jehovah forbid his people to engage in any form of spiritism?
156 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
his birth, they would not have celebrated it. Why? Be-
cause, as The World Book Encyclopedia says, the early
Christians “considered the celebration of anyone’s birth
to be a pagan custom.” The only birthday observances
mentioned in the Bible are those of two rulers who did
not worship Jehovah. (Genesis 40:20; Mark 6:21) Birth-
day celebrations were also held in honor of pagan
deities. For example, on May 24 the Romans celebrat-
ed the birthday of the goddess Diana. On the following
day, they observed the birthday of their sun-god, Apollo.
Hence, birthday celebrations were associated with pagan-
ism, not with Christianity.
8 There is another reason why first-century Christians
11. Why do some people celebrate holidays, but what should be our
chief concern?
12. Illustrate why we should avoid customs and celebrations that
have bad origins.
160 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.” (John 14:6) For our prayers
to be heard, we must pray only to Jehovah through his
Son.
10 Must we assume a special position or posture when
a Christian to come to
our aid.—Proverbs 12:
25; James 2:16.
18 Jehovah God also
Baptism and
Your Relationship With God
How is Christian baptism performed?
What steps do you need to take to qualify
for baptism?
How does a person make a dedication to God?
What is the special reason for
getting baptized?
8. What will move you to share with others what you have learned?
9, 10. (a) With whom might you begin sharing Bible truth? (b) What
should you do if you want to share in the organized preaching work
of Jehovah’s Witnesses?
11. What changes might some have to make before they qualify for
the public ministry?
178 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
21, 22. How can you make “public declaration” of your faith?
23. What does it mean to be baptized “in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the holy spirit”?
24, 25. (a) What does baptism symbolize? (b) What question needs
to be answered?
Baptism and Your Relationship With God 183
vah and for His precious Word of truth alive and burning
brightly. After his resurrection, Jesus taught two of his
disciples about some of the prophecies in the Hebrew
Scriptures that were fulfilled in him. What was the effect?
They later said: “Were not our hearts burning as he was
speaking to us on the road, as he was fully opening up
the Scriptures to us?”—Luke 24:32.
12 When you first learned what the Bible really teach-
es, did you find that your heart began to burn with joy,
zeal, and love for God? No doubt you did. Many have felt
the same way. The challenge now is to keep that intense
love alive and to help it grow. We do not want to fol-
low the trend of today’s world. Jesus foretold: “The love
of the greater number will cool off.” (Matthew 24:12)
How can you prevent your love for Jehovah and for Bible
truths from cooling off?
13 Keep taking in knowledge of Jehovah God and Je-
TOPIC PAGE
The Truth About the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit 9 9 201
˘˙˘˝
This verse speaks about a name. In the original Hebrew in
which much of the Bible was written, a
unique personal name appears here. It
is spelled ˘˙˘˝ (YHWH) in Hebrew let-
ters. In English, the common rendering
of that name is “Jehovah.” Does that
name occur in only one Bible verse? God’s name in
No. It appears in the original text of the Hebrew letters
Hebrew Scriptures nearly 7,000 times!
How important is God’s name? Consider the model prayer
that Jesus Christ gave. It begins this way: “Our Father in the
heavens, let your name be sanctified.” (Matthew 6:9) Later,
Jesus prayed to God: “Father, glorify your name.” In re-
sponse, God spoke from heaven, saying: “I both glorified it
and will glorify it again.” (John 12:28) Clearly, God’s name is
of the utmost importance. Why, then, have some translators
left this name out of their translations of the Bible and re-
placed it with titles?
There seem to be two main reasons. First, many claim that
the name should not be used because the original way to
pronounce it is unknown today. Ancient Hebrew was writ-
ten without vowels. Therefore, no one today can say for sure
exactly how people of Bible times pronounced YHWH. How-
ever, should this prevent us from using God’s name? In Bible
times, the name Jesus may have been pronounced Yeshua or
196 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
“SEVENTY WEEKS”
490 years
Messiah
“The word arrives
to restore
. . . Jerusalem” Messiah
“cut off”
End of the
“seventy
Jerusalem
weeks”
rebuilt
Appendix 199
the year 474 B.C.E. was Artaxerxes’ first full year as ruler.
Therefore, the 20th year of his rule was 455 B.C.E. Now we
have the starting point for Daniel’s Messianic prophecy, that
is, 455 B.C.E.
Daniel indicates how long the time period leading to the
arrival of “Messiah the Leader” would last. The prophecy
mentions “seven weeks, also sixty-two weeks”—a total of 69
weeks. How long is this period of time? Several Bible transla-
tions note that these are, not weeks of seven days, but weeks
of years. That is, each week represents seven years. This con-
cept of weeks of years, or seven-year units, was familiar to
Jews of ancient times. For instance, they observed a Sabbath
year every seventh year. (Exodus 23:10, 11) Therefore, the
prophetic 69 weeks amount to 69 units of 7 years each, or a
total of 483 years.
Now all we must do is count. If we count from 455 B.C.E.,
483 years takes us to the year 29 C.E. That was exactly the
year when Jesus was baptized and became the Messiah!1
(Luke 3:1, 2, 21, 22) Is that not a remarkable fulfillment of Bi-
ble prophecy?
1 From 455 B.C.E. to 1 B.C.E. is 454 years. From 1 B.C.E. to 1 C.E. is
one year (there was no zero year). And from 1 C.E. to 29 C.E. is 28 years.
Adding these three figures gives us the total of 483 years. Jesus was “cut
off” in death in 33 C.E., during the 70th week of years. (Daniel 9:24, 26)
See Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy! chapter 11, and Insight on the
Scriptures, Volume 2, pages 899-901. Both are published by Jehovah’s
Witnesses.
Jesus Christ
—The Promised Messiah
TO HELP us identify the Messiah, Jehovah God inspired
many Bible prophets to provide details about the birth, the
ministry, and the death of this promised Deliverer. All
these Bible prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. They
200 What Does the Bible Really Teach?
Many who believe the Trinity admit that they are not able
to explain this teaching. Still, they may feel that it is taught
in the Bible. It is worth noting that the word “Trinity” never
occurs in the Bible. But is the idea of a Trinity found there?
To answer this question, let us look at a scripture that sup-
porters often cite to uphold the Trinity.
“THE WORD WAS GOD”
John 1:1 states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (King James
Version) Later in the same chapter, the apostle John clearly
shows that “the Word” is Jesus. (John 1:14) Since the Word is
called God, however, some conclude that the Son and the Fa-
ther must be part of the same God.
Bear in mind that this part of the Bible was originally writ-
ten in Greek. Later, translators rendered the Greek text into
other languages. A number of Bible translators, though, did
not use the phrase “the Word was God.” Why not? Based on
their knowledge of Biblical Greek, those translators conclud-
ed that the phrase “the Word was God” should be translated
differently. How? Here are a few examples: “The Logos
[Word] was divine.” (A New Translation of the Bible) “The
Word was a god.” (The New Testament in an Improved Ver-
sion) “The Word was with God and shared his nature.” (The
Translator’s New Testament) According to these translations,
the Word is not God himself.1 Instead, because of his high
position among Jehovah’s creatures, the Word is referred to
as “a god.” Here the term “god” means “mighty one.”
GET MORE FACTS
Most people do not know Biblical Greek. So how can you
know what the apostle John really meant? Think of this ex-
ample: A schoolteacher explains a subject to his students.
Afterward, the students differ on how to understand the ex-
1 For a further discussion of John 1:1, see pages 24-25 of the Novem-
ber 1, 2008, issue of The Watchtower, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Appendix 203
17:31, the apostle Paul said that God “has set a day in which
he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness
by a man whom he has appointed.” This appointed Judge is
the resurrected Jesus Christ. (John 5:22) When, though, does
Judgment Day begin? How long does it last?
The book of Revelation shows that Judgment Day begins
after the war of Armageddon, when Satan’s system on earth
will be destroyed.1 (Revelation 16:14, 16; 19:19–20:3) After
Armageddon, Satan and his demons will be imprisoned in
an abyss for a thousand years. During that time, the 144,-
000 heavenly joint heirs will be judges and will rule “as kings
with the Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 14:1-3; 20:
1-4; Romans 8:17) Judgment Day is not some hurried event
lasting a mere 24 hours. It lasts a thousand years.
During that thousand-year period, Jesus Christ will “judge
the living and the dead.” (2 Timothy 4:1) “The living” will be
the “great crowd” that survives Armageddon. (Revelation 7:
9-17) The apostle John also saw “the dead . . . standing be-
fore the throne” of judgment. As Jesus promised, “those in
the memorial tombs will hear [Christ’s] voice and come out”
by means of a resurrection. (John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15) But on
what basis will all be judged?
According to the apostle John’s vision, “scrolls were
opened,” and “the dead were judged out of those things writ-
ten in the scrolls according to their deeds.” Are these scrolls
the record of people’s past deeds? No, the judgment will
not focus on what people did before they died. How do
we know that? The Bible says: “He who has died has been
acquitted from his sin.” (Romans 6:7) Those resurrected thus
come to life with a clean slate, so to speak. The scrolls must
therefore represent God’s further requirements. To live for-
ever, both Armageddon survivors and resurrected ones will
have to obey God’s commandments, including whatever
1 Regarding Armageddon, please see Insight on the Scriptures, Vol-
ume 1, pages 594-5, 1037-8, and chapter 20 of Worship the Only True God,
both published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Appendix 215
“SEVEN TIMES”
2,520 years
must give it to him.” (Ezekiel 21:26, 27) The one who has “the
legal right” to the Davidic crown is Christ Jesus. (Luke 1:32,
33) So the ‘trampling’ would end when Jesus became King.
When would that grand event occur? Jesus showed that the
Gentiles would rule for a fixed period of time. The account in
Daniel chapter 4 holds the key to knowing how long that pe-
riod would last. It relates a prophetic dream experienced by
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He saw an immense tree
that was chopped down. Its stump could not grow because it
was banded with iron and copper. An angel declared: “Let sev-
en times pass over it.”—Daniel 4:10-16.
In the Bible, trees are sometimes used to represent ruler-
ship. (Ezekiel 17:22-24; 31:2-5) So the chopping down of the
symbolic tree represents how God’s rulership, as expressed
through the kings at Jerusalem, would be interrupted.
However, the vision served notice that this ‘trampling of Je-
rusalem’ would be temporary—a period of “seven times.”
How long a period is that?
Revelation 12:6, 14 indicates that three and a half times
equal “a thousand two hundred and sixty days.” “Seven
times” would therefore last twice as long, or 2,520 days. But
the Gentile nations did not stop ‘trampling’ on God’s ruler-
ship a mere 2,520 days after Jerusalem’s fall. Evidently, then,
this prophecy covers a much longer period of time. On the
basis of Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6, which speak of “a day
for a year,” the “seven times” would cover 2,520 years.
The 2,520 years began in October 607 B.C.E., when Jerusa-
lem fell to the Babylonians and the Davidic king was taken
off his throne. The period ended in October 1914. At that
time, “the appointed times of the nations” ended, and Jesus
Christ was installed as God’s heavenly King.1—Psalm 2:1-6;
Daniel 7:13, 14.
1 From October 607 B.C.E. to October 1 B.C.E. is 606 years. Since there
is no zero year, from October 1 B.C.E. to October 1914 C.E. is 1,914 years.
By adding 606 years and 1,914 years, we get 2,520 years. For information
on Jerusalem’s fall in 607 B.C.E., see the article “Chronology” in Insight
on the Scriptures, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
218 What Does the Bible Really Teach?